Marc Márquez’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) unbeaten run continues, but the #93 was handed a gold medal gift on Saturday afternoon at the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalonia as Álex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) crashes out of the lead while over a second clear. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) finished the Tissot Sprint just over a second behind Marc Márquez to earn silver, while Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) earned a relatively comfortable P3 after breaking clear of a brilliant KTM battle.
93, 37 & 20 GO TOE-TO-TOE ON OPENING LAP
Álex Márquez got the launch he was searching for as Quartararo, Marc Márquez, and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) went side-by-side into Turn 1. Acosta was on the outside of Marc Márquez as Quartararo swept inside the duo to grab P2 and tag right onto the back of Álex Márquez, leaving the Spaniards in P3 and P4.
An edge-of-your-seat opening lap then unfolded between Quartararo, Marc Márquez and Acosta. Márquez was up the inside of the Frenchman at Turn 10 but Quartararo dug his heels in and kept the inside line into Turn 12, and then Acosta fancied a piece and overtook Márquez too. Then, earning a dose of slipstream from Quartararo’s Yamaha, Márquez got the better of both into Turn 1 and despite having initially lost out, Quartararo bit back again to keep Acosta behind him.
The Sprint then settled down as Marc Márquez and Quartararo hunted down Álex Márquez, who sat 0.5s clear of his brother and 0.9s ahead of Quartararo. Acosta, out of shot, then lost a place to Di Giannantonio and then dropped back into the clutches of teammate Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3). Remember that KTM scrap we mentioned?
At the front, Quartararo couldn’t keep tabs on Márquez duo’s pace and by Lap 6 of 12, El Diablo was 1.3s adrift of the #93. But it looked like Álex Márquez had the championship leader covered as things stood – the gap was up to 1.3s with four laps remaining.
DRAMA: ÁLEX MÁRQUEZ CRASHES FROM LEAD
However, later on that lap at the tricky Turn 10, the leader was down. Álex Márquez’s front end washed away, and that was that for the #73’s Tissot Sprint gold medal hopes. An almost certain victory vanished, and thus, the lead was Marc Márquez’s.
Heading onto the final lap, Márquez’s advantage over Quartararo was 1.298s, and he wasn’t going to give that up, was he? No, of course not. Marc Márquez clinched his 14th Sprint win of the year in dramatic fashion as Quartararo returned to the rostrum alongside Di Giannantonio, as a fierce KTM battle unfolded behind.
YOUR SATURDAY POINTS SCORERS
In that scintillating scrap, Acosta just held onto P4 ahead of Bastianini and Binder, as the trio crossed the line just 0.075s apart in the top six. Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) ended the Sprint in P7 and beat fellow HRC star Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) by 0.3s, with rookie Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) earning the final point in P9.
COMING UP: GRAND PRIX SUNDAY
Can Álex Márquez bounce back from late disappointment on Sunday and fight back against Marc Márquez? After a tense Sprint, Sunday should be a belter in Barcelona. Find full Sprint results HERE and come back for more tomorrow to find out.
Follow the key stories from Saturday
- Sprint heartbreak for the #73: Alex Marquez delves into Saturday afternoon DNF
- The streak rolls on, but not without a late scare: MM93 reveals all
- "It's been a long time since I enjoyed first laps like that" - Quartararo returns to Sprint rostrum
- Q1 to Sprint bronze - Di Gianntonio talks "stressful" day at the office in BCN
Ducati wrap up 2025 Constructors' crown
Six Constructors’ Championship titles in a row, anyone? That’s exactly what Ducati ordered at the start of the season, and that’s exactly what’s been delivered after another remarkable, record-breaking campaign.
The Italian marque have officially been crowned 2025 MotoGP Constructors’ Champions on Saturday at the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalonia, with Marc Marquez’s 14th Tissot Sprint win of the year helping secure Ducati their seventh Constructors’ win – the first of which came back in 2007.
In addition, with Marc Marquez looking set to go on and produce arguably sport’s greatest-ever comeback by winning the MotoGP Riders’ Championship in the near future, it means Ducati are going to proudly lift both the Constructors’ and Riders’ titles in the same year for the fourth year running. What an achievement.
Congratulations to everyone at Ducati for their latest success!
Holgado takes first Moto2™ pole to head Dixon and Veijer
After some impressive pace on Friday, Dani Holgado (CFMoto Impulse Aspar Team) backed it up on Saturday with a new lap record for his first pole position in Moto2™. Fellow rookie Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) continued his recent form too to take a first front row in the class, with the two debutants split by Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in second.
- Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) is the top qualifier of the top three in the standings but down in P7 after penalties elsewhere - with Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) qualifying P12 and starting P10, one place ahead of Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team)
- Albert Arenas (Italjet Gresini Moto2) came from Q1 and would have headed Row 2, alongside Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) in P5, but nine-place grid penalties for both for slow sectors mean its the impressive Daniel Muñoz in fourth, as he continues to sub for Deniz Öncü at Red Bull KTM Ajo. He'll have Filip Salac (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Senna Agius (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) alongside
Read more here and for full results, click HERE – and then tune in for more Moto2 on Sunday!
Almansa blasts to career-first pole in Barcelona
David Almansa (Leopard Racing) left it late to fire himself into pole position for the first time in his Moto3™ career. The Spaniard will have a clear view down to Turn 1 and was the only rider able to dip into the 1’46s, with a 1’46.877 good enough to see him clear of Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) and Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI).
- Behind the top three, David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) heads Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA - MT Helmets - MSI) and Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing)
- Championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is P7, and has a Long Lap for Sunday
- Rookie and Hungary winner Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) rounds out the top ten, looking for more on Sunday
Read more here, find full qualifying results HERE!